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Measurement and communication of greenhouse gas emissions from U.S. food consumption via carbon calculators

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  • Kim, Brent
  • Neff, Roni

Abstract

Food consumption may account for upwards of 15% of U.S. per capita greenhouse gas emissions. Online carbon calculators can help consumers prioritize among dietary behaviors to minimize personal "carbon footprints," leveraging against emissions-intensive industry practices. We reviewed the fitness of selected carbon calculators for measuring and communicating indirect GHG emissions from food consumption. Calculators were evaluated based on the scope of user behaviors accounted for, data sources, transparency of methods, consistency with prior data and effectiveness of communication. We found food consumption was under-represented (25%) among general environmental impact calculators (n = 83). We identified eight carbon calculators that accounted for food consumption and included U.S. users among the target audience. Among these, meat and dairy consumption was appropriately highlighted as the primary diet-related contributor to emissions. Opportunities exist to improve upon these tools, including: expanding the scope of behaviors included under calculations; improving communication, in part by emphasizing the ecological and public health co-benefits of less emissions-intensive diets; and adopting more robust, transparent methodologies, particularly where calculators produce questionable emissions estimates. Further, all calculators could benefit from more comprehensive data on the U.S. food system. These advancements may better equip these tools for effectively guiding audiences toward ecologically responsible dietary choices.

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  • Kim, Brent & Neff, Roni, 2009. "Measurement and communication of greenhouse gas emissions from U.S. food consumption via carbon calculators," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 69(1), pages 186-196, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ecolec:v:69:y:2009:i:1:p:186-196
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    1. Anderson, Blake & M'Gonigle, Michael, 2012. "Does ecological economics have a future?," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 84(C), pages 37-48.
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    4. Grandchamp, Laurence, 2019. "Adjusting food practices to climate prescriptions: vegetable gardening as a way to reduce food-related greenhouse gas emissions," Review of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Studies, Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA), vol. 100(1-4), July.
    5. Laurence Granchamp, 2019. "Adjusting food practices to climate prescriptions: vegetable gardening as a way to reduce food-related greenhouse gas emissions," Review of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Studies, Springer, vol. 100(1), pages 1-25, December.
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    9. Gergely Tóth & Cecília Szigeti & Gábor Harangozó & Dániel Róbert Szabó, 2018. "Ecological Footprint at the Micro-Scale—How It Can Save Costs: The Case of ENPRO," Resources, MDPI, vol. 7(3), pages 1-14, August.
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    12. Garnett, Tara, 2011. "Where are the best opportunities for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the food system (including the food chain)?," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 36(S1), pages 23-32.
    13. Saah, David & Patterson, Trista & Buchholz, Thomas & Ganz, David & Albert, David & Rush, Keith, 2014. "Modeling economic and carbon consequences of a shift to wood-based energy in a rural ‘cluster’; a network analysis in southeast Alaska," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 107(C), pages 287-298.
    14. Li, Xi & Ouyang, Zhigang & Zhang, Qiong & Shang, Wen-long & Huang, Liqiao & Wu, Yi & Gao, Yuning, 2022. "Evaluating food supply chain emissions from Japanese household consumption," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 306(PB).
    15. Vázquez-Rowe, Ian & Villanueva-Rey, Pedro & Moreira, Mª Teresa & Feijoo, Gumersindo, 2013. "The role of consumer purchase and post-purchase decision-making in sustainable seafood consumption. A Spanish case study using carbon footprinting," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 41(C), pages 94-102.
    16. Biancamaria Torquati & Chiara Taglioni & Alessio Cavicchi, 2015. "Evaluating the CO 2 Emission of the Milk Supply Chain in Italy: An Exploratory Study," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 7(6), pages 1-16, June.
    17. Atsushi Watabe & Alice Marie Yamabe-Ledoux, 2023. "Low-Carbon Lifestyles beyond Decarbonisation: Toward a More Creative Use of the Carbon Footprinting Method," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(5), pages 1-28, March.
    18. Mario Burgui-Burgui & Emilio Chuvieco, 2020. "Beyond Carbon Footprint Calculators. New Approaches for Linking Consumer Behaviour and Climate Action," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(16), pages 1-14, August.
    19. Boehm, Rebecca & Wilde, Parke E. & Ver Ploeg, Michele & Costello, Christine & Cash, Sean B., 2018. "A Comprehensive Life Cycle Assessment of Greenhouse Gas Emissions from U.S. Household Food Choices," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 79(C), pages 67-76.
    20. Vieux, F. & Darmon, N. & Touazi, D. & Soler, L.G., 2012. "Greenhouse gas emissions of self-selected individual diets in France: Changing the diet structure or consuming less?," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 75(C), pages 91-101.
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